Chapter 11

Long Yuehong murmured with his red lips for a while, then laughed self-mockingly:

"I feel like I'm not a chosen one, but a cursed one."

He spoke very softly and did not repeat himself. Jiang Baimian tilted her head slightly, listening carefully, but still couldn't hear what he was saying.

But Jiang Baimian didn't ask Long Yuehong to speak louder. She smiled to herself and said:

"We will be doing all sorts of training, including but not limited to shooting, combat, wilderness survival, exoskeleton operation, and bionic smart armor operation.

"Whoever performs poorly and fails to meet the requirements will be kicked out of the Old Adjustment Team and given a new job."

Long Yuehong's eyes lit up, and his sense of dejection suddenly dissipated.

"But," Jiang Baimian deliberately avoided looking at him and turned her gaze to Shang Jianyao, "whoever deliberately lags behind during training and doesn't put in their best effort, I will note it in their file. You should be well aware of the consequences."

Once an employee's file is stained, the next job they are assigned will certainly not be good. If they accumulate three stains, they will be exiled to the Ashlands.

Shang Jianyao also didn't look at Long Yuehong's expression changes and said seriously:

"If one can't even pass the training, how can they save the world?"

Bai Chen, sitting on the sofa, couldn't help but glance at this young man again, suspecting that he might have a problem with his brain.

Although Shang Jianyao looked very appealing to her, she still cautiously reminded Jiang Baimian:

"Team Leader, after all the training courses are completed, it would be best to conduct a deep assessment of their physical and mental states. In the Ashlands, humans can easily collapse due to various reasons, leading to mental abnormalities, which can cause significant trouble. We must eliminate these hidden dangers in advance."

"Good suggestion." Jiang Baimian snapped her fingers, "The only problem is, can you speak a bit louder? I almost didn't hear you clearly."

"Yes, Team Leader!" Bai Chen responded loudly with her hoarse voice.

Jiang Baimian nodded in satisfaction and continued:

"In short, those who can complete all the training and pass my evaluation will have a high survival rate in future missions. Those who don't meet the requirements won't be allowed to stay in the Old Adjustment Team, facing dangers they can't handle. To the company, every labor force is precious. We won't easily abandon you until we've squeezed out all your value."

"Uh..." Long Yuehong sighed in relief, no longer feeling so anxious and dejected.

He wanted to respond but felt that the team leader's last words were a bit strange, subtly hurting his feelings.

Bai Chen frowned, suspecting that the team leader might have the same problem as Shang Jianyao:

How can such blunt truths be spoken so directly?

Clap, clap, clap! Shang Jianyao clapped enthusiastically:

"Well said!"

Jiang Baimian's smile froze for a moment, then she said:

"Shang Jianyao, I feel your behavior is a bit unusual. Are you not suitable for the Old Adjustment Team?"

"Isn't this good? When everyone is depressed, pessimistic, and hopeless, there's still one person who remains smiling, full of enthusiasm, and entertaining everyone." Shang Jianyao smiled.

Jiang Baimian was slightly surprised:

"You speak quite normally."

"I've always been normal." Shang Jianyao responded, sitting up straight.

Jiang Baimian hummed and suddenly smiled:

"Then, how can you entertain everyone?"

Shang Jianyao thought for a moment and said:

"The Gold Coast Hula Dance."

"…Looking forward to it." Jiang Baimian replied half-heartedly, "By the way, where did you learn it?"

"At the entertainment department's year-end performance." Shang Jianyao answered frankly.

"Ah, I didn't watch it!" Jiang Baimian clapped her hands.

Listening to their conversation, Bai Chen's resolve wavered even more.

She began to feel that joining this team might have been a mistake.

Glancing around, she saw that Long Yuehong's expression was also filled with confusion and doubt.

In this team, the most normal person besides me is this silly and timid guy? Bai Chen pulled her scarf, as if wanting to cover her entire face.

After chatting about the programs of last year's year-end performance, Jiang Baimian glanced at her black electronic watch:

"It's a bit late. We have training soon, so I'll keep it short."

Seeing Shang Jianyao, Long Yuehong, and Bai Chen all looking at her watch, Jiang Baimian waved her hand and said:

"I got this from a wanderer in the wilderness in exchange for two cans of braised beef with soybeans. He found it, and it was already broken. Fortunately, I know a supervisor in the factory area, and I spent contribution points to have an electronics engineer fix it for me.

"Hehe, don't be envious. You will have plenty of opportunities to scavenge and pick up trash once you leave the company and enter the Ashlands, right, Bai Chen? I remember you were a trash hunter back then?"

Team Leader, don't use such unpleasant words... Bai Chen opened her mouth and sighed slightly:

"Relic Hunter.

"Actually, I'm not a true Relic Hunter. I rarely go to the deep ruins of cities in the wilderness, as those places are too dangerous. I mostly pick up things scattered in the wilderness..."

She paused for two seconds, as if searching for a good word, but finally bit her lip and said:

"Trash!

"Also, I go to city ruins that have been mostly cleared of danger and are relatively close, looking for things that hunters overlook or haven't discovered. Then, I drive to various settlements in the wilderness to exchange for supplies."

Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong nodded, indicating they understood.

Their basic textbooks had a section detailing the current situation in the Ashlands, including a specific introduction to the profession of "Relic Hunter."

This profession emerged gradually after the destruction of the old world—people who seek out the ruins of old cities to obtain items, books, technical documents, literature, and various resources.

Relic Hunters are a very diverse group, including antiquities scholars, historians, researchers, investigators from major forces, and many more who make a living by finding and selling relics. A significant portion of them also "moonlight" as wilderness bandits.

After years of chaos, Relic Hunters established a loose organization called the "Hunter Guild" to exchange information and supplies and to prove their credibility to each other, under the initiative of some powerful figures.

Jiang Baimian praised her:

"This time, your voice was loud enough."

She then smiled:

"Actually, there are new electronic watches being produced now, but they are very rare and can only be found in 'First City.'

"Ah, I wonder when I'll have the chance to go to 'First City.'"

First City is both the name of a city and a major force. The city is said to be the first one built by humans after the destruction of the old world, relying on the ruins of an old city. It is the capital of the major force, which is currently the most populous and influential force in the Ashlands.

Hearing the name "First City," Bai Chen's expression turned gloomy, as if recalling some unpleasant past.

She didn't interrupt Jiang Baimian but shrank her body closer to the armrest of the sofa.

Jiang Baimian slapped her forehead:

"Oops, I said I'd keep it short, but I ended up rambling.

"Next, the important part—benefits!

"Shang Jianyao, Long Yuehong, you are both D1 level, the same as other positions, with a monthly salary of 1800 points. However, we do have meal allowances.

"The meal allowance works like this: you have four days off each month, and the rest are training days. On training days, you can have breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the small cafeteria next door, with two special meat dishes per day, totaling half a kilogram. Each dish costs one contribution point, and you can choose to eat it all at once or split it into two meals.

"On rest days, you receive an additional 25 contribution points per day, equivalent to half a kilogram of raw pork, totaling 100 additional contribution points.

"In other words, during the training phase, excluding field exercises, your monthly salary is 1900 points.

"When you leave the company to train in the Ashlands, you not only get free supplies but also an additional 30 points per day for field work. If you get injured, all medical expenses are covered, and if you become disabled, the company will provide free bionic limb transplant surgery."

Jiang Baimian glanced at Long Yuehong:

"If you die, there will definitely be a pension, with a standard of 80 months' salary.

"In short, our team's benefits are better than any other position at the D7 level and below.

"Once you complete all the training courses and pass the evaluation, you will immediately be promoted to D2 level. Other positions might take one, two, or even more years."

Long Yuehong's heart sank at first, but then he felt a bit happy, as his job seemed to have a bright future.

If he could survive the first few missions of the Old Adjustment Team, he might even be promoted to D6 level and could then apply for a transfer to another position.

At that time, among his peers, he would likely be the highest-ranking and highest-earning, and as long as he didn't go to the areas where the managers live, he could hold his head high wherever he went.

"As for you," Jiang Baimian looked at Bai Chen, "since you are not yet a formal employee, your current benefits will remain unchanged, but you will also have meal allowances and field work subsidies. Once the training courses are completed and you pass the evaluation, you will become a formal employee."

Bai Chen's expression had already softened, and she nodded lightly to indicate she understood.

Jiang Baimian wiggled her fingers on her left hand:

"Today's morning training is gun recognition, disassembly, and reassembly."

"Haven't we already learned this?" Long Yuehong blurted out.

This is part of the basic education.

—In college, there are also mandatory courses in combat and shooting.

Jiang Baimian smiled and said:

"You have only learned the company's standard weapons.

"Next, I will, no, Bai Chen will introduce you to various weapons from different forces and different ruins in the wilderness.

"You need to know that when we go on missions, it's easy to lose our weapons or be unable to get effective supplies. At such times, you need to be able to repair any gun you find and use the corresponding weapon for the size of the bullets you find. The more skills you have in this area, the better your chances of survival."

"Alright." She clapped her hands, "First, go to the changing room in the small bathhouse to change into your uniforms, then go to room 15."

She then pointed to the several sets of clothes on the coffee table.

Note 1: From now on, we will mainly talk about the caliber of the bullets and not mention other parameters like the length, to avoid making it too complex and unfriendly. Just consider it...